H&M Conscious Foundation has launched the first ever Global Change Award (GCA), one of the world’s biggest challenges for early stage innovation and the first such initiative in the fashion industry. By catalysing green, ground-breaking ideas, the aim of the challenge is to protect the earth’s natural resources by closing the loop for fashion. Five winners, chosen by an expert jury, will share a grant of €1 million and get access to a tailor-made innovation accelerator. The global public will be invited to distribute half of the total grant through an online vote. The result will be revealed at an awards ceremony in Stockholm, in February 2016.  The GCA is looking for ideas that will protect the earth’s natural resources. The H&M Conscious Foundation is a non-profit global foundation, funded by the Stefan Persson family, founders and main owners of the Swedish fashion company H&M. The mission of the Foundation is to drive long-lasting positive change and improve living conditions by investing in people, communities and innovative ideas. The GCA takes on one of the biggest challenges facing today's fashion industry – to create fashion for a growing population while reducing its impact on the environment. Neither the Foundation nor the company H&M will take any equity or intellectual property rights in the innovations. The innovation accelerator, a collaboration with Accenture and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, will give the five winners the support and knowledge they need to actualise their ideas. Starting off with an innovation boot camp in Stockholm, provided by KTH Innovation, it will be followed up by guidance from Accenture Strategy on how to develop the winning ideas further. This includes the provision of a one-year training and coaching programme with a particular focus on circular economy. The innovation accelerator will also provide exclusive fashion industry access and offer possibilities to build networks and try out the ideas within the fashion value chain. Information about the Global Change Award, how to apply for a grant and updates on the challenge are available through the GCA website.

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H&M Conscious Foundation in 'helplines'